Llansilin () is a village and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
in
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...
,
Powys
Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
, Wales, west of
Oswestry. The community, which includes Llansilin village, a large rural area and the hamlets of Moelfre and Rhiwlas as well as the remote parish of
Llangadwaladr, had a population of 648 at the 2001 census,
[Llansilin Community]
Office of National Statistics increasing to 698 at the 2011 Census. There is also an electoral ward including the nearby village of
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant with a population of 2,295.
Landscape

The village was a primary location for the making of the film ''
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain'', which starred
Hugh Grant. The hilltop scenes were filmed on the Gyrn, the long hill that overlooks the village. It was also featured in "
Monk's Hood", an episode of ''
The Cadfael Chronicles''.
Church
The church in Llansilin is dedicated to
Saint Silin (now better known as Sulien). The earliest part of the present building dates from the 13th century, although there had been a church on the site from much earlier times. Much of the present building dates from the early 15th century. The wooden spire was destroyed by fire, and the present tower was built in 1832. There was a major restoration during 1889/1890, and the church was re-opened in June 1890. The church was in
Denbighshire until 1974, and in
Clwyd
Clwyd ( , ) is a preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English cerem ...
from 1974 until 1996. It is now in
Powys
Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
, following boundary revisions in 1996.
The churchyard contains the grave of Welsh poet
Huw Morus, the "Nightingale of Ceiriog", and
war graves of two British soldiers of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
CWGC Cemetery Report, details obtained from casualty record.
Notable residents
Owain Glyndŵr, the last native Welshman to hold the title
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
(''Tywysog Cymru''), was born and had his palace in the
motte and bailey castle at
Sycharth
Sycharth was a motte and bailey castle near Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth was the birthplace of ...
in the parish.
Welsh poet
Huw Morus lived in the parish from 1647 until his death in 1709.
German
Neoclassical metal guitarist
Uli Jon Roth has a home in Llansilin.
[Report by Harry Leather, on recent visit to a school to give musical masterclass to several pupils.]
References
External links
*
Photos of Llansilin
{{authority control
Villages in Powys